Wrench.



. MBNDENHALL d. B. R. WoNsMos.

WRENCH.

APPLICATION FILED FEB.14,1908.

Patented Deo. 8, 19084 n rren smarts PATENT FFXQE.

RAM MENDENHALL AND BERTEL R. WONSMOS, OF AUDUBO, IOWA.

W WRENCH.

Application lod February 14:, 19.08. Serial No. 415,891. i

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, HIRAM MENDENHALL and BERTEL R. WoNsMos, citizens of the United States, residing at Audubon, in the county of Audubon and State of Iowa, have invented a new and useful Wrench, .of which the following is a specification.

The object of our invention is to provide a wrench of simple, durable and inexpensive construction, in which the movable jaw may be quickly and easily adjusted throughout its entire range of movement, Aby sliding on the shank of the iixed jaw, and when the jaws have been placed in engagement with the nut, the movable jaw may be 'firmly clamped to the shank, and the movement of the lever that tends to clamp the movable jaw to the shank will also tend to force the movable jaw toward the stationary one, so that inthe event that the two jaws did not iirmly and accurately tit against the object toA be clamped, the movement 'of the lever will tend to cause the jaws to iirmly engage the object to be clamped.

Our invention consists in the construction,

arrangement and combination of the various4 parts' of the device, whereby the objects contemplated' aile attained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in our claims and illustrated in the Azmcoiripanying drawings, in

lWhich- I .---..\V

Figure 1 shows a side elevation of the` complete wrench embodyin our invention,

the side plate of the movab e jaw being removed to show the interior construction. Fig. 2 shows an edge View Vof the complete Wrench embodying our invention, and Fig. 3 shows a sectional View on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1.

' Referring tothe accompanying drawings, we have used the reference numeral l0 to indicate the wrench handle, 11 the shank, whichfis rectangular in cross section, and is provided with straight sides and edges, and 12 the fixed jaw on the shank 11. The movable jaw is preferably formed of a jaw member 13 having a straight face 14 opposite to the face of the jaw 12, and also having a recess or chamber 15 open at the side opposite from the face 14. Two side plates 16 and 17 are placed on opposite sides of the member 13, to complete the sliding jaw. These parts are held together by means of the rivets 18, and a small filler member 19 is placed between the plates 16 and 17 at the side of the shank 11 opposite from the member 13.

specification er Lettere resent.

Patented Dec. 8, 1908.

The portion of the jaw member 13 adjacent to the shank 11 is spaced apart from the shank 11, and is inclined, being closer to the shank 11 at the face 14 than at its other edge. The filler member 19 is so shaped that when the two jaws are in parallel posi tions, as shown in Fig. 1, the face of the filler member 19 that is adjacent to the shank 11, diverges slightl f away from the shank toward the handle of the wrench, as clearly shown in Fig. 1. F or clam ing the movable jaw member to the shan i, we provide a Wedge block 20 having a llat face adjacent to the shank, and in engagement therewith, and having a tapered face 21 adjacent to the face of the jaw member 13, which 'face is indicated by the numeral 22. r1`he faces 21 and 22 are so arranged that when the two jaws are/in parallel positions, the said faces will diverge slightly from their rear ends tofard the stationary jaw, asclearly shown in Formed in the wedge block 2,0 is a recess 23. The sliding jaw is operated by means of a lever 24 having a rounded head 25 thereon, arranged in the recess 15 of the jaw member 13. bald lever is also rovided with a rounded lug 26 arranged 1n the recess 23. By this arrangement, it is obvious that no rivets or other fastening devices need be provided for the lever, but the lever is assembled in position by placing it in the recesses 15 an( 2S before the plate A1,6 insecured in position, and then after said pljtefsecuied, the lever is firmly retained in position. At the end of the shank 11 is a limiting pin 27 designed to limit the movement of the movable jaw away from the stationary one.

ln practical use, and assuming that the lever 24 is moved to its limit away from the handle 10, then obviously the movable jaw is left free to slide u on the shank 11 and it may be 'thus moved gy the operator grasping the lever 24. Assuming that it is desired `to engage a nut with the Wrench, then the aws f'are iirst separated far enough to admit the nut and then the movable jaw is forced against the edge until the jaws stand as close as possible to the opposite sides of the nut, then the lever24 is moved toward the handle 10. This forces the wedge block 2,0 toward the stationary jaw, and this movement of the wedge block is continued until the faces 21 and 22 become parallel and said faces can only become parallel when the outer end of stationary one, this tilting movement being permitted because the iiller member 19 is slightly tapered. Hence, when the movable jaw is nally `clamped to the shank l1, its outer end will be slightly nearer the4 stae tionary jaw than it was before the clamping movement ol' the lever 24 was commenced. Hence, the nut or other object to be engaged will be firmly and securely held, and there will be no danger of stripping the corners of the nut when it is turned by the wrench.

4. Having thus described our invention, what we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent, isw

l. An improved wrench comprising a handle, a shank thereon, a stationary j aw on the shank, a movable Jaw formed of two side f plates on opposite sides of the shank, a jaw member between said plates having a recess therein, and also having a wedge engaging face spaced apart from the shank member, a -filler member between the plates on the op- )osite side of the shank, said iiller member having its face that is adjacent to the shank slightly inclined away from it toward the' handle, a wedgel block having a ilat face to engage the shank, and an inclined face to engage the wedge engaging face of the jaw member, said faces being inclined away from each other toward the stationary jaw, a lever having a rounded e'nd thereon mounted'rin the recess of the jaw member, and said lever and wedge having a co-acting lug and recess connection.

2. An "improved wrench comprising a handle, a shank thereon, a stationary jaw on the shank, a movable jaw formed of two side plates on opposite sides of the shank, a jaw member between said plates having a recess thereon, and also having a wedge engaging face spaced apart Jfrom the shank member, a filler member 'between the plates on the opposite side of the shank, said filler' member having its face that is adjacent to the shank slightly inclined away from it toward the handle, a wedge block having a recess there in, and having a flat face to engage the shank, and an inclined face to engage the wedge engaging face of the jaw member, said faces being inclined away from each other toward the stationary jaw, a lever having a rounded end thereon, and also having a lug opposite the rounded end, said lever being mounted in the recess of the.jaw member, and said lug being mounted in the recessin the wedge, and a limiting pin at the end of the shank farthest from the stationary jaw.

HIRAM MENDENHALL. BERTEL R. WONSMOS. Witnesses: Y i

WM. S. THoMAs, CHAs. E. Conn.' 

